Into Aspen and Photos!

Past 24 hours in a series of verb phrases...

Arrive at Twin Lakes campsite, marvel at its beauty, swim in frigid glacial lake, finished Little History of the World (I'm mowing through these books!), slept in the van to keep warm, slept in van, gazed awestruck at stars, slept more...

Wake at 5 am, shiver, clothe self in layer upon layer of gear, bike to climb Independence Pass, pedal through tiredness, bellow Japhy victory cry from top, dance with trip mates, start 20 mile descent passing multiple cars, roll into Aspen...

Aspen is a completely different place than anywhere we've stayed so far. Average median house value is near 3 million dollars. Audis are everywhere. T shirts cost $35. It's wild. Roaming the city with Bryant, I couldn't help thinking how wonderful a city can make itself with such a massive tax base. Visitor information booths were everywhere, staffed with multiple helpful employees. Public transit, running on regular 20 minute loops, is completely free. Streams trickled alongside cobblestone sidewalks in the downtown and paved pedestrian paths were interwoven throughout the larger community. Bryant and I saw a full scale orchestra and operatic concert in a public music "tent" (think mini Millennium Park) FREE. And this is the off season! There is no question why so many people love to vacation here. With all this appeal for visitors, Bryant and I considered the resident realities. We went by one home where a man was standing on his porch as his cleaning lady waxed his already shiny Mercedes. I overheard two goth teens choosing the evening's plans, "well obviously I have the money for that, but we paraglided last week." Such white (90% demographic) wealth concentration would suffocate me in no time. Fortunately, I can stay a visitor and enjoy my carefree day off here. Plans for tomorrow (with my main man Bryant) include a shuttle to the "most breathtaking view in CO," ultimate frisbee in the main park, perusing their lone thrift store, and a 25 cent wing eating fest.

CO photos up to this moment can be found here. Enjoy them!

My Independence Pass success is dedicated to Loren my sister. I thought of my lovely soon-to-be-17 sister today as vocal soloists captivated the Aspen audience. She is unbelievably artistically talented, which I brag about to everyone. What I haven't boasted about as much is something I am only now starting to appreciate. She reaches out of her comfort zone with diligence and excitement. Though admittedly not a master builder, she joined me on the Habitat site, serving as a more consistent worker than many of my fellow riders. This summer she has taken on a major challenge, diving into a full time job in lab science without any prior experience. Pretty cool stuff. Anyways, thanks for being your awesome self and donating my shoes. Oh and the rainbow tights you gave me served as an excellent hat today.

Tomorrow I plan to do a blog post reflecting on my goal progress this trip...stay tuned.